I Have A Theory
by I Speak Sarcasm
Summary: Booth talks to Cam about something he's been pondering for a while. Inspired by the season 5 promo


It seemed that I had no one else to turn to. Angela meant well, of course, but if I spoke to her about this she would run to Bones and tell her as soon as I was out of hearing range; that was the _last_ person I wanted to find out. Hodgins was a bug and slime guy; what could he do, congratulate me on sleeping with my partner while I was in a coma? Ah, I love how little sense that makes.

Of course I couldn't tell Sweets. He actually asked me in our first private session (who knew the FBI would want a former coma patient to get checked out by a therapist?) if I could remember any dreams I had while in that coma. He claimed it would help him better understand my current mental state.

But I didn't tell him. It was one thing he did not need to know. So I politely told him, "No, I don't remember anything." He was disappointed, but since that's at least slightly normal, I was off the hook.

And then of course, there was no way I could talk to Bones. Bones was the problem. Or, more accurately, Bones was so far away from being the problem that she was exactly… well, _the problem._

So Cam seemed a rather logical choice. I confided in her long before I knew Bones, and I could confide in her now.

We went to lunch that day, just us. It was rarely just us anymore; Bones or Jared or someone usually tagged along. But everyone was busy, so we decided to go alone. The absolute perfect time to bring it up.

As it turned out, I wasn't even the one that _mentioned_ it first.

"Do you remember anything from when you were in a coma?" She was looking down at her food as she said it. It was obvious she was embarrassed. "People always wonder if, when they talk to a coma patient, they hear, or if it's pointless."

I tried to answer this in a way that didn't give everything away immediately. "I don't remember anyone talking to me… I was too engrossed in this dream."

This caused Cam to look up at me, slightly startled. "Sweets said, though… He said that you didn't remember dreaming about anything."

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "Then he would have asked me what I remembered… And there's no way I'm going into detail about _that_ with the two-year-old shrink who over-analyzes everything I say."

"So you remember what the dream was about." She said quietly. It was not a question.

"Yes." I said this to my food, not her. "Vividly."

When I looked up at her, she held my gaze. "Tell me about it."

And so I did. I described _The Lab_, which I owned with my wife. I told her about everyone working there who worked at, well, the lab. I went through the case that she and my brother worked on, and told her how defensive I was of Bren; my Bren. I talked about Bren's and my relationship—some things in detail, some as vaguely as possible. When I finished, she was silent for a while.

"Well, say _something_…" I muttered.

She sighed. "I can tell why you didn't want to tell Sweets. That's enough to keep him going until Christmas." She paused, wanting to give me a chance to put in my opinion. When I didn't say anything, she continued. "Is this the first time you've had a dream at all like this?"

I paused, unsure if I wanted to go into that. I decided to clarify before giving an answer that would humiliate me. "With murders? Or with people from the lab? Or with—"

"With Brennan in particular." She finished for me, slightly amused.

Cough. Hack. Silence for a few seconds. "Maybe a few times."

She smiled. "I thought so." She stirred her coffee for a few moments. "Of course there's a reason why you're telling me this."

"Yes. It was partly because I just couldn't keep it to myself; I needed to tell _someone_. Hey, I've already gone two weeks mulling it over in my head. But, also…" I leaned closer to her so that I could lower my voice more; even though no one I knew was in there, I felt like everyone was listening in on our conversation. "I needed someone to bounce this… theory off of. About Bones."

"You're in love with Dr. Brennan." She said.

_So much for a climax to my exciting story. She's probably known for ages_. But I decided to play dumb, and see if she was just fishing for evidence, or if she actually had been watching me. "Pardon?" I put on my best confused face.

"Seeley…" Cam spoke to me gently, as if I were a child who needed to hear something that they didn't necessarily want to (even though I did). "I see the way you look at her. The way you touch her. How you perk up when she enters a room. And with those dreams… you love her, there's absolutely no doubt about it."

_True. All of it is true. She's right, Seels. Just cede and admit it already._ "Okay, maybe. But Cam… I have a problem now… such a big problem…"

Even though I could tell she knew what I was talking about, she asked. "What problem?"

I sighed. "What the hell am I supposed to do now? I'll just end up hitting that line… I can't step over the freaking line."

Cam looked down at her watch, then reached into her pocket, pulling out the money to pay for her food. _Wonderful, over, just like that_. Then she made to stand up. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you what you're supposed to do. That's up to you… and I should hope you give Dr. Brennan some sort of say, as well."

Yes. Bones deserved her say. She had a right to tell me what she wanted.

"Oh, and Seeley," Cam said this from the doorway of the diner, looking back at me where I was sitting at the counter, "I always did picture her as one to keep her last name, not change it. Your coma self seems just about as perceptive as you." With that she turned and left, heading back to the lab.

I picked at my food a while longer, mulling over what Cam had said to me. Then, taking a deep breath, I pulled out my phone and hit a number on my speed dial. My partner picked up almost immediately. "Hey Booth."

My voice was going to quiver, I just knew it. "Hey Bones. Wanna meet up for dinner tonight at the diner? We need to talk." Yep. It quivered.

"Sure; I should be done with this by 6. I'll come and meet you then." I could hear her smiling. I know everyone says you can't hear a smile over the phone… but with Bones you can. You can always tell when she's happy.

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Bye Booth."

I grinned. "Bye Bones. Have fun." _She hung up. Have __**fun**__? You're an idiot, man. She's doing freaking autopsies._

_Think about it, though._ I answered myself. _To her, that kind of stuff is fun._

Leaving my own money on the counter, I left as well. I had more important things to worry about than how much Bones enjoyed her job.


End file.
